United States Senate elections, 1846 and 1847

Various dates

19 of the 58 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 29 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party

Party	Democratic	Whig
Last election	35 seats (60.3%)	24 seats (47.1%)
Seats before	33 (58.9%)	23 (41.1%)
Seats won	35 (60.3%)	19 (32.8%)
Seat change	3	4
Seats up	8	10

	Third party	Fourth party

Party	Liberty	Independent Democratic
Last election	[new party]	0 (0.0%)
Seats before	1 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)
Seats won	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.0%)
Seat change	1	1
Seats up	1	0

Majority Party before election

Democratic

Elected Majority Party

Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1846 and 1847 were elections which had the Democratic Party gain four seats in the United States Senate.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

Senate Party Division, 30th Congress (1847–1849)

Majority Party: Democratic (38)
Minority Party: Whig (21)
Other Parties: Independent Democrat (1)
Total Seats: 60

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the February 1846 elections in Texas.

W₁₉ Ran	W₂₀ Unknown	W₂₁ Unknown	W₂₂ Unknown	W₂₃ Retired	D₃₃ Retired	D₃₂ Unknown	D₃₁ Unknown	D₃₀ Ran
		D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈
D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉
D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆ Ran	D₂₇ Ran	D₂₈ Ran
Majority →									D₂₉ Ran
W₁₈ Ran	W₁₇ Ran	W₁₆ Ran	W₁₅ Ran	W₁₄ Ran	W₁₃ Ran	W₁₂	W₁₁	W₁₀	W₉
		W₁	W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈

As a result of the elections

	D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉
D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀
D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆ Re-elected	D₂₇ Re-elected	D₂₈ Re-elected	D₂₉ Re-elected
Majority →									D₃₀ Hold
V₁ W Loss	V₂ New state	V₃ New state	ID₁ Gain	D₃₅ Gain	D₃₄ Gain	D₃₃ Gain	D₃₂ Hold	D₃₁ Hold
W₁₉ Hold	W₁₈ Hold	W₁₇ Hold	W₁₆ Re-elected	W₁₅ Re-elected	W₁₄ Re-elected	W₁₃ Re-elected	W₁₂	W₁₁	W₁₀
	W₁	W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉

At the beginning of the next Congress

	D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉
D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀
D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈	D₂₉
Majority →									D₃₀
W₂₀ Gain	V₁	V₂	V₃	ID₁	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁
W₁₉	W₁₈	W₁₇	W₁₆	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂	W₁₁	W₁₀
	W₁	W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉

Key:

D_#	Democratic
ID_#	Independent Democratic
W_#	Whig
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 29th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1846 or in 1847 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Texas (Class 1)	New State			Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Winner elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain.	√ Thomas Rusk (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas (Class 2)	New State			Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Winner elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain.	√ Sam Houston (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Hampshire (Class 2)	Benning W. Jenness	Democratic	1845 (Appointed)	Appointee lost election to finish the term. Winner elected June 13, 1846. Liberty gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below.	√ Joseph Cilley (Liberty) Benning W. Jenness (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina (Class 3)	William H. Haywood, Jr.	Democratic	1843	Incumbent resigned July 25, 1846 rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. Winner elected November 25, 1846. Whig gain.	√ James M. Mason (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana (Class 2)	Alexander Barrow	Whig	1840	Incumbent died December 29, 1846. Winner elected January 21, 1847. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below.	√ Pierre Soulé (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia (Class 1)	Isaac S. Pennybacker	Democratic	1845 (Special)	Incumbent died January 12, 1847. Winner elected January 21, 1847. Democratic hold.	√ James M. Mason (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Iowa (Class 2)	New State			Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.^[1] Seat vacant until December 7, 1848.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Iowa (Class 3)	New State			Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.^[1] Seat vacant until December 7, 1848.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Races leading to the 30th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1847; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	Dixon Hall Lewis	Democratic	1844 (Appointed)	Incumbent elected to full term in 1847.	√ Dixon Hall Lewis (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Arkansas	Chester Ashley	Democratic	1844 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ Chester Ashley (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Delaware	Thomas Clayton	Whig	1837 (Special) 1841	Unknown in incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold.	√ Thomas Clayton (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia	John M. Berrien	Whig	1825 1829 (Resigned) 1840 1845 (Resigned) 1845 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ John M. Berrien (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Illinois	James Semple	Democratic	1843 (Appointed) ? (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic hold.	√ Stephen A. Douglas (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana	Pierre Soulé	Democratic	1847 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1847. Democratic hold.	√ Solomon W. Downs (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Kentucky	James T. Morehead	Whig	1841	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold.	√ Joseph R. Underwood (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Maine	George Evans	Whig	1840	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846.^[2] Democratic gain.	√ James W. Bradbury (Democratic) George Evans (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Massachusetts	John Davis	Whig	1835 1841 (Resigned) 1845 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1847.	√ John Davis (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Michigan	William Woodbridge	Whig	1841	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in February 1847. Democratic gain.	√ Alpheus Felch (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Mississippi	Joseph W. Chalmers	Democratic	1845 (Appointed) ? (Special)	Unknown if incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Democratic hold.	√ Henry S. Foote (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Hampshire	Joseph Cilley	Liberty	1846	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Independent Democratic gain.	√ John P. Hale (Independent Democratic) Joseph Cilley (Liberty) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Jersey	Jacob W. Miller	Whig	1840	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ Jacob W. Miller (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina	Willie Mangum	Whig	1840 (Special) 1841	Incumbent re-elected in 1847.	√ Willie Mangum (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Rhode Island	James F. Simmons	Whig	1841	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold.	√ John Hopkins Clarke (Whig) James F. Simmons (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
South Carolina	John C. Calhoun	Democratic	1832 (Special) 1834 1840 1843 (Resigned) 1845 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ John C. Calhoun (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Tennessee	Spencer Jarnagin	Whig	1843 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss.	Spencer Jarnagin (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas	Sam Houston	Democratic	1846	Incumbent re-elected in 1847	√ Sam Houston (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia	William S. Archer	Whig	1846	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic gain.	√ Robert M. T. Hunter (Democratic) William S. Archer (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Special elections during the 30th Congress

In this special election, the winner was elected in 1847 after March 4.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Tennessee (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had earlier failed to elect. Winner elected November 22, 1847. Whig gain.	√ John Bell (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Complete list of races

New Hampshire

John P. Hale was elected June 1846 as an Independent Democrat. He would later become a Free Soiler.

References

1 2 Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa. pp. 17–46, 72–79.
↑ http://www.onlinebiographies.info/me/rmm/bradbury-jw.htm

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov

United States Senate elections

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